Rear-seat airbag and rear-seat airbag apparatus

Abstract

A rear-seat airbag is configured to expand and deploy from a lower portion of a center console of a vehicle toward a center portion of a row of rear seats. The rear-seat airbag includes a first airbag and a second airbag. The first airbag is configured to restrain an upper body of a passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats. The second airbag is configured to restrain a lower body of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats. The first airbag is coupled to the second airbag such that, when the rear-seat airbag expands and deploys, the first airbag covers a half or more of the second airbag.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A rear-seat airbag configured to expand and deploy from a lower portion of a center console of a vehicle toward a center portion of a row of rear seats, the rear-seat airbag comprising:
 a first airbag configured to restrain an upper body of a passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats; and 
 a second airbag configured to restrain a lower body of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats, 
 wherein the first airbag is coupled to the second airbag such that, when the rear-seat airbag expands and deploys, the first airbag covers a half or more of the second airbag, 
 wherein the second airbag comprises cylindrical air chambers coupled to each other in a vertical direction, 
 wherein the cylindrical air chambers which are independent from each other in the vertical direction are configured to, when the second airbag expands and deploys, expand and deploy while coupled to each other, and 
 wherein both ends of each of the cylindrical air chambers in a vehicle width direction are secured to a floor stretching over a center portion of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. A rear-seat airbag configured to expand and deploy from a lower portion of a center console of a vehicle toward a center portion of a row of rear seats, the rear-seat airbag comprising:
 a first airbag configured to restrain an upper body of a passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats; and 
 a second airbag configured to restrain a lower body of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats, 
 wherein the first airbag is coupled to the second airbag such that, when the rear-seat airbag expands and deploys, the first airbag covers a half or more of the second airbag, 
 wherein a center of gravity of each of the first airbag and the second airbag when the first airbag and the second airbag expand and deploy is configured to coincide with a point of intersection of virtual loci of forward movements of a head, a chest, and knees of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats in response to an impact generated by a collision of the vehicle, 
 wherein the second airbag comprises cylindrical air chambers coupled to each other in a vertical direction, 
 wherein the cylindrical air chambers which are independent from each other in the vertical direction are configured to, when the second airbag expands and deploys, expand and deploy while coupled to each other, and 
 wherein both ends of each of the cylindrical air chambers in a vehicle width direction are secured to a floor stretching over a center portion of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       3. A rear-seat airbag configured to expand and deploy from a lower portion of a center console of a vehicle toward a center portion of a row of rear seats, the rear-seat airbag comprising:
 a first airbag configured to restrain an upper body of a passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats; and 
 a second airbag configured to restrain a lower body of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats, 
 wherein the first airbag is coupled to the second airbag such that, when the rear-seat airbag expands and deploys, the first airbag covers a half or more of the second airbag, 
 wherein the first airbag comprises a protrusion configured to expand and deploy above a point of intersection of virtual loci when the first airbag expands and deploys, 
 wherein the second airbag comprises cylindrical air chambers coupled to each other in a vertical direction, 
 wherein the cylindrical air chambers which are independent from each other in the vertical direction are configured to, when the second airbag expands and deploys, expand and deploy while coupled to each other, and 
 wherein both ends of each of the cylindrical air chambers in a vehicle width direction are secured to a floor stretching over a center portion of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       4. A rear-seat airbag configured to expand and deploy from a lower portion of a center console of a vehicle toward a center portion of a row of rear seats, the rear-seat airbag comprising:
 a first airbag configured to restrain an upper body of a passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats; and 
 a second airbag configured to restrain a lower body of the passenger sitting in the center portion of the row of rear seats, 
 wherein the first airbag is coupled to the second airbag such that, when the rear-seat airbag expands and deploys, the first airbag covers a half or more of the second airbag, 
 wherein the second airbag comprises cylindrical air chambers coupled to each other in a vertical direction, 
 wherein the second airbag is configured to, when the passenger falls forward of the vehicle upon occurrence of a collision from ahead of the vehicle, expand and deploy such that a point of intersection of virtual loci intersects a center portion of the cylindrical air chambers, 
 wherein the cylindrical air chambers which are independent from each other in the vertical direction are configured to, when the second airbag expands and deploys, expand and deploy while coupled to each other, and 
 wherein both ends of each of the cylindrical air chambers in a vehicle width direction are secured to a floor stretching over a center portion of the vehicle.